Saturday, October 31, 2009

The PLAAF 60th Anniversary Warplane Show marks the first public display of the Type 200A anti-runway bomb, the rumored laser-guarded variant of the Type200-4 anti-runway bomb in service with the PLAAF since 1996. According to the Chinese, the Type200-4 is the localized adoption of the French MATRA Durandal imported during the 1980s. As expected, MATRA denied any direct Durandal link with China. The Durandal (BLU-107) was also sold to the USAF and saw action during the 1st Gulf war against the Iraqi runway.

The Type 200 is currently packaged as one of the weapons for the Sino-Pakistan FC-1/JF-17 project.

Friday, October 30, 2009

Here is a good panel discussion from the Council on Foreign Relations on the recent development of the PLA. Click on the link below, download the MP3, and listen to it in your own time. You can also watch the video online (here)

The word "harmonious" IMHO has been overused and abused by the PRC PR department. Give it a rest.

China to mark 60th founding anniversary of airforce with warplane show

(Source: Xinhua) 2009-10-27

BEIJING, Oct. 26 (Xinhua) -- China's People's Liberation Army (PLA) air force will put its most advanced warplanes on display in the suburbs of Beijing in November, to mark the 60th founding anniversary of the PLA air force, an air force officer said here Monday.

All the aircraft, including Kongjing-2000 Airborne Early Warning and Control (AEWC) aircraft, J-11 fighters, H-6 bomber jets, and HQ-9 surface-to-air missiles, were made by China, said He Weirong, deputy commander of the PLA air force.

Most of them were included in the aircraft fly past during the National Day military parade on Oct. 1 this year in Beijing, he said.

Four J-10 fighters and six J-7 fighters from the air force's performance team are scheduled to have a fly past on the founding anniversary and paratroopers from the air force will perform skydiving as part of the celebration programs.

This year marks the 60th founding anniversary of the People's Republic of China, its naval forces on April 23, and its air force on Nov. 11.

An international military forum themed "harmonious skies" will also be held in Beijing in November. More than 300 senior air force officers from China and more than 30 other countries are expected to attend the forum to mark PLA air force's 60th founding anniversary, He said.

"The forum is aimed to build a platform for air forces of different countries to enhance mutual understanding and exchanges, to discuss how to maintain safety in the skies, and to know about China and its PLA air force better," He said.

Celebrations will also include an exhibition of weapons and equipment of the air force at the China Aviation Museum on the outskirts of Beijing, according to the officer.

Galas, TV series and documentaries themed with the development of the air force will be put on show in state broadcaster to mark the 60th founding anniversary of the PLA air force, he said.

Thursday, October 29, 2009

The deployment of FFG-525 and FFG-526 marks the first time members of the third Flotilla, East Sea Fleet are being deployed to the Gulf of Aden.

The third flotilla is modern by PLAN standards staffed with the imported Russian Sovremenny class DDG and the domestic Type 054 and Type 054A FFG. It made news last November when the DDG138 and FFG 525 passed through the Japanese Tsugaru Strait on their way back to China after a Sino-Russian naval exercise near Vladivostok (here)

ZHOUSHAN, Zhejiang Province, Oct. 29 (Xinhua) -- A Chinese navy flotilla will depart from the Zhoushan Islands on Friday to escort merchant vessels and protect them from pirate attacks in the Gulf of Aden, a spokesman with China's People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) said Thursday.

The flotilla will be the fourth task force China has deployed to the region since the end of last year.

Missile frigates FFG-525 Ma'anshan and FFG-526 Wenzhou will replace the radar-evading hulled FFG-529 Zhoushan and FFG-530 Xuzhou from the PLAN's third flotilla, which set sail to waters off Somalia in June.

They would join by supply ship Qiandaohu, which has been on duty in the region for about three months.

The PLAN's fourth flotilla would boast a crew of more than 700, including a unit of special forces, and would be equipped with two ship-borne helicopters, the spokesman said.

They would actively take part in international humanitarian rescue missions and conduct friendly exchanges with foreign navies, he said.

China made an unprecedented move by sending three warships to the Gulf on Dec. 26 last year in the first overseas escort mission for merchant vessels.

The PLAN warships have escorted hundreds of domestic and foreign vessels since the first flotilla arrived in the region.

Wednesday, October 28, 2009

AAMs could be there for balance issues. J-10s seem to almost always be carrying PL-8s out there. Even the J-10B had them fitted when it first appeared in primer. Drop tank could be where the chemicals for the smoke effect are stored. In the Thunderbirds F-16 the 20mm gun and ammo can were removed for the "smoke tank", a solution which probably wouldn't work as well on the J-10 given the different gun layout and fitting. Twin-seats isn't a big deal either, it's common for display teams to use them for carrying photographers, training crews, and even handing out VIP rides.

"August First" flight demonstration team to fly J-10 aircraft

(Source: Mod.gov.cn) 2009-10-28

The reporters learned from relevant department of the Air Force of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) that the “August First” flight demonstration team of the PLA Air Force which took the lead in flying over the Tian’anmen Square during the military parade in honor of the 60th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China is to change its aircraft with type J-10 fighters independently developed and designed by China. And the J-10 fighters will also adopt a new coating. This is the 4th time for the team to adopt a new coating since its establishment.

It’s introduced that the coated marks mainly include national flag, army emblem, aircraft emblem, words of CHINA AIR FORCE, team emblem, aircraft number, flight formation and maintenance as well as warning marks (sign and symbol). The coating has distinct characteristics and “China Air Force” is the theme of the whole scheme. The national flag coated on the vertical tail, the words of “CHINA AIR FORCE” coated in the mid part of the aircraft body and the aircraft emblem coated on the aerofoil all reflect the feature of PLA Air Force and have obvious representation. The “arrow-shaped” pattern designed in combination with the aeronautic appearance and the “Flying” mark on the underside symbolize that the PLA Air Force is developing rapidly. Blue, white and red colors are used in the coating with blue color as the main hue, for blue is the universal color adopted by most top flight demonstration teams in the world. The coating well inherited the coating style of the type J-7EB/GB demonstration fighters with harmonious color which is concise, lively, solemn, artistic and easy to distinguish.

Tuesday, October 27, 2009

Since the current economic downturn, the trilateral relations between China, South Korea and Japan has improved steadily. They are now pushing forward with their own regional cooperation agendas. First, there was the joint development of undersea resources in the disputed zones between China and Japan, (here) then the study of the "East Asian Community" concept (here), and now the Trilateral Summit on DPRK relations. (here)

Historical and regional geopolitics will prevent a formation of an Asia EU as suggested by the new Japanese Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama. However, that region is also home to 16% of the world’s GDP, thus any attempt to further cooperation should not be viewed as a zero sum game. The PLAN's visit to Korea and Japan and the associated training exchange can be viewed as an example of this regional cooperation. Hopefully, the diehard nationalists from all sides will understand.

At the invitation of the ROK's navy and Japan's maritime self-defense force, the vessel is scheduled to visit the ROK's port of Chinhae and Japan's port of Kure from Oct. 29 to Nov. 2, and Nov. 5 to 9 respectively, according to the schedule.

Two cadets from an institute under Japan's maritime self-defence force were on board the vessel to receive training with their Chinese counterparts, said Rear-Admiral Liu Yi, the PLA Navy's deputy chief of staff, who will lead the vessel.

This was the first time for foreign cadets to take part in the whole course of navigation training on a Chinese navy vessel, according to Liu.

Of nearly 370 people on board the vessel, 230, including 16 female, are cadets from four academies under the PLA Navy. They will have a variety of professional exchanges with their ROK and Japanese counterparts respectively, according to Liu.

During the visits, four Chinese navy students will get the opportunity to receive training in academies of the ROK's navy and Japan's maritime self-defense force for two or three days, he said.

The visiting ship "Zhenghe" was named after a Chinese maritime explorer who sailed overseas about 600 years ago. Dubbed "a mobile college on the sea", the vessel was put into service 22 years ago and had sailed for a total of more than 280,000 nautical miles.Editor: Sun Yunlong

ABOARD THE JS KURAMA - JAPAN'S navy held its triennial fleet review on Sunday, its first major demonstration of power under the country's new government, which has vowed to cut back on some of its already limited activities overseas.

Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama has taken a more pacifist stance on military issues than his conservative predecessors, and the military has come under scrutiny since his government took over last month after decades of rule by the conservative Liberal Democratic Party.

Japan's navy, generally viewed as the strongest in Asia, is seen as an important regional balance to the expansion of China's rapidly growing naval power - a role that Washington has strongly supported.

The navy, formally called the Maritime Self-Defense Forces, is focused almost entirely on a defensive strategy along Japan's coasts, but its overseas role has grown in recent years.

It is participating in missions in the Indian Ocean in support of the US-led coalition in Afghanistan and off the coast of Somalia as part of an international anti-piracy mission. Japanese ships also regularly monitor activity in North Korea from positions in the Sea of Japan. -- AP

Monday, October 26, 2009

The ZSL93 is the PLA’s security armored "truck". In essence, this 10-ton light APC is a standard PLA HY472 6x6 truck on an armored shelf with 80% commercial parts. It is geared for security duty with a smoke generator, siren and police flash lights. While the other PLA AFV is armed with a 12.7 HMG, the ZSL wears a lowly 7.62 machine gun.

The ZSL93 was first revealed to pubic in the 1984 National Day Parade and again in the 1997 HongKong handover ceremony. It is currently in service with the Beijing, HongKong and Macou Garrisons and the CMC’s Central Guard.

In 2005, a modernized variant of the ZSL05 was developed for the PLA’s peacekeeping operations in Africa.

Thus far, Niger is the only known operator of the WZ523 outside of China. Since HY trucks are widely exported to Africa finding spare parts should be easier compared to other Chinese APCs.